Vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, planes, boats, motorcycles, autonomous vehicles, robots, forklift trucks, etc.) are an integral part of the modern economy. Unfortunately, fossil fuels, like gasoline which is typically used to power such vehicles, have numerous drawbacks including: a dependence on limited sources of fossil fuels; foreign sources of fossil fuels are often in volatile geographic locations; and such fuels produce pollution and likely climate change. One way to address these problems is to increase the fuel economy of these vehicles. Recently, gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles have been introduced, which consume substantially less fuel than their traditional internal combustion counterparts, i.e., they have better fuel economy. However, gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles do not eliminate the need for fossil fuels, as they still require an internal combustion engine in addition to the electric motor.
Another way to address this problem is to use renewable resource fuels such as bio-fuels. Bio-fuels, however, are currently expensive and years away from widespread commercial use.
Yet another way to address these problems is to use clean technologies, such as electric motors powered by fuel cells or batteries. These batteries need to be recharged relatively often. For example they might require re-charging in a parking garage of a store or office building. Therefore, many charge stations may be required. As more and more vehicles use rechargeable fuel cells or batteries, more and more charge spots will be necessary. However, connecting each charge spot to an electric power grid can be costly and time consuming. Furthermore, the deployment often requires an operator with specialized skills. Similarly, if the charge spot malfunctions or is vandalized, replacement of the charge spot is also costly, time consuming, and requires specialized operator skill.
It would be beneficial if there were a system that could quickly deploy more charge spots as demand grows. It would also be beneficial if the deployment did not require an operator with specialized skills. Furthermore, it would be beneficial if charge spots could be quickly and easily replaced when necessary.